Catching the Contagion!

When my grandfather passed away over a year ago, I didn’t quite grasp how his funeral would profoundly change me. As I listened to loved ones pay their respects, there was one theme that repeated again and again. “Your grandfather was a kind man.” One year later, the words stay with me. They make me smile.

Kindness

When someone does something kind for you, you remember it. It warms your heart. Nothing can compare to the feeling that you matter. In an instant, your faith in humanity can be restored. You get the sense that we’re all in this together.

It’s not a new notion. Great minds and philosophers have been talking about kindness for hundreds of years.

There are many books on the topic. People “pin” messages on Pinterest that espouse it’s benefits.

Yet, when daily life sets in, we forget.

Sometimes I forget. I forget to be kind, to be uplifting, to give encouragement.

We get caught up in the mundane tasks of life. We race in our cars from one obligation to the next. We walk past each other and look away. We ignore.

I don’t like this and I’m not willing to accept it. I want to choose kindness. Mindful kindness.

I’m a work in progress but I’m committed.

What if I start with Facebook? What if I choose NOT to grumble? What if I asked myself before every post “Will this comment fill people up or make them feel spit out? What if I replace the glass half-empty mentality with one full of gratitude? What if I posted a word of encouragement to a friend who seems down? What if I messaged someone that I haven’t talked to in a long time and told them that I cared? What if everyone did this and picked one friend…and that friend picked one friend..and so on?

The world is full of negative comments, words, and actions. However, we do not have to participate. We can opt out of the negativity.

I have two young boys who are watching me. They will remember my actions, not my words. I want their world to be better. I can help build a kindness army.